Welcome Speech for The First World Conference of Global Civilization
Secretary-General of the Organization for Promoting Global Civilization
Secretary-General of the First World Conference on Global Civilization
By Dr. Shaohua Zhang
Chairman - Organization for Promoting Global Civilization Chairman - First World Congress of Global Civilization
Representatives, dear guests, ladies, and gentlemen:
On behalf of the OPGC, and representing the preparatory committee, and as an individual, I would like warmly welcome you all.
Due to changes we made to the schedule, some of those friends who had originally planned on attending the congress will not be able to attend. I would like to express my sincere regret at their absence.
Dear friends, in February of last year an Australian newspaper compared us to "a spiritual Olympic-style movement involving concerned people from many states." I concur with this comparison.
As the American political scientist researching international policy, Prof. Norman Levine, pointed out in his paper, "The strength of the OPGC once more proves the following: The nation state is no longer a unassailable force. Rather, it's an institution whose activities are now limited and constrained. Although it is too early to speak of the transcendence of the militarized state, it is not too soon to speak about the diminishment of national sovereignty." I agree with his vision.
Two scholars of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Prof. Mkhail N. Pak and Prof. Gerasim A. Yugay, wrote in their paper, "The First World Congress on Global Civilization shows that the mission to form a "global circle of knowledge" has been undertaken by OPGC". I agree with their evaluation.
An Uzbek scholar Prof. Farkhad Khamaraev wrote, "It takes decades or hundreds of years to construct a global civilization, so we have to start working right now." I agree with his evaluation.
The most outstanding Chinese philosopher Prof. Gao Qinghai wrote in his letter to the this congress that "this conference marks the transition from 'a world focusing on regional civilizations' to 'a world focusing on global civilization.'" I agree with this judgment.
Friends, the main sponsor of this conference is "Organization for Promoting Global Civilization." The phrase "promoting global civilization" has two meanings: In a broad sense, it means to promote civilization on a global scale. More specifically, it means the promotion of global civilization based on the principle of the three unities: the unity of all things, the unity of humanity, and the unity of the human and the spiritual. So global civilization is not something opposed to regional civilization, but rather the common part of various local civilizations. To promote global civilization does not mean the eradication of local civilizations. Rather, it means setting up a new framework within which regional civilizations can undergo the process of globalization. It also means helping regional civilizations throw off the negative precedent of "the survival of the fittest" as a pattern of development.
The World Congress on Global Civilization is a biannual meeting that aims to "improve global ecology, care for humanity, to raise the level of regional cultures, and to construct a global civilization. This is the first of the congresses. I believe that through our joint efforts we will be able to pave the way for the future world congresses on global civilization.
